U.S. Senate Committee Advances Legislation to End Horse Soring

We are happy to announce that the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation today approved the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, S. 1406, by voice vote. This important step paves the way for an eventual floor vote in the Senate.

The PAST Act, introduced in the Senate by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark Warner (D-VA), will amend the federal Horse Protection Act (HPA) to better protect horses from abusive “soring”—the practice of purposely inflicting severe pain in horses’ legs and hooves to force them into an unnatural, high-stepping gait (walk). Specifically, the PAST Act will improve inspections at Tennessee Walking Horse shows, increase penalties for soring a horse, and ban the use of cruel “action devices,” the heavy chains and stacked shoes that exacerbate the pain for sored horses.

A recently introduced “alternative” bill purports to address the problem of horse soring, but instead would have the effect of forever institutionalizing it. The alternative bill would do nothing to improve horse welfare—it would merely maintain the status quo. The ASPCA supports the PAST Act as the only Congressional bill that will make the reforms needed to end horse soring.